


A Collage Flame

by AngelLunaSky



Category: Gakuen Alice
Genre: AU, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-08-06
Updated: 2007-08-06
Packaged: 2017-11-16 23:05:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 14,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/544820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelLunaSky/pseuds/AngelLunaSky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[Published at FF.net in 2007-08]<br/>AU.<br/>In a world where no alices exist, a boy start collage. He meets a girl with a big attitude and a deep secret. Will Natsume be able to be her friend? And is Mikan really okay?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A New Class

Early a Wednsday morning a raven-haried boy stepped inside the gates of the private collage that would be his home for the next three years. He looked up at the huge building. How the heck do they espect that he will find the faculty on his own. He looked around to see if there were somebody around that could help him and he spotted a small group of three people smoking a bit from the gate. He eyed the group. It was two girls and a guy. Especially one of the girls caught his attention. She had brown hair and was dressed in a pair of worn-out jeans, a black tank top and a leather jacket. Before he could take a step against the group to ask for directions he saw a girl with curly hair run up to the brunette and whisper something. He saw the three put out their cigarettes and move a little closer to the gate, and now he could hear what they said.   
”That Jin-Jin sure is annoying, why is he so bent on catching us smoking anyway?” The girl with light pink hair sighed with annoyance.  
”Well, that's because our Mikan here is not exactly Jin-Jins favourite student,” the boy answered a-matter-of-factly.  
”Well, he's not exactly my favourite teacher either, so I guess we're even,” said the brunette and put a piece of gum in her mouth.  
As if on cue a teacher suddenly showed up in front of the group and started yelling at them about not smoking at school. The brunette faced him and said with an annoyed voice:  
”Exuse me Jin-Jin, but do you see a cigarette in my hand? If you don't, then don't start yelling at me.”  
The teacher turned red and angrily turned and walked back towards the school. In that moment he heard a gasp from the group and turned back towards them. The girl with curly hair had finally spotted him and stood and stared at him.  
”Hey kid, you lost?” said the guy with them. ”This is a private school if you didn't know, outsiders aren't allowed.”  
  
Mikan Sakura eyed the raven-haired boy that was standing by the gates. She remebered someone saying that her class was having a new student today, could he be the one. She looked even more interested when she heard his reply.  
”Yes, in fact I am lost. Could you possibly show me the way to the faculty?”  
She heard the curley haired girl blurt out from behind her:  
”Could you possibly be the new guy in our class?”  
The girl started to walk towards the boy, but she held up a hand and stopped her.  
”You stay here for a while Permy,” she said before walking over to face the boy herself.  
When she was standing just two feet away from him she stopped and eyed him closely.  
”Hey kiddo, what's your name?”  
”Why should I tell you my name?” he answered bravely and she looked at him with interest.  
He was brave, this kid. She eyed him once more before she turned her back to him.  
”Whatever, you'll find someone to help you find you way once you enter the building. Let's go guys.”  
The whole group started walking towards the school building. Suddenly Permy started talking.  
”He must be the new guy in our class Mikan. Maybe you should take the time to come to class this morning?”  
Mikan looked thoughtfully out in the air. Then suddenly she mumbled, much to the others surprise:  
”Maybe I just might...”  
  
The raven-haired boy followed the group into the school building, where he immediatly heard his name.  
”Hyuuga right?”  
He looked at the blond teacher who called him.  
”Yeah, that's me.”  
”Great, I've been waiting for you, I am your new homeroom teacher, Narumi. I'll take you to the classroom after being to the faculty.  Let's go.”  
The teacher talked very fast and when he was done he just simply started to walk, expecting him to follow.  
Half an hour later he found himself in a classroom with about twenty people looking curiously at him. He looked around and recognized the girl with the curly hair.  
”Okay everybody. Today I have the honor of indroducing you to a new classmate. This is...”  
The teacher suddenly got quiet. Through the door came the girl from before.  
  
Mikan walked into the classroom five minutes late and saw the boy from before standing besides Narumi.  
”Mikan. What brings me the honor of your presence in class this early?” Narumi looked sarcasticlly at her but she ignored him.  
Instead she turned her eyes towards the new boy.  
”Hey kiddo. So we meet again.”  
She didn't have to turn to look at the class to know that they got her message. She was watching this boy. She went to her seat in the back and sat down. Narumi cleared his throat and started talking again. He got the message too.  
”So you've met before? Then Mikan, could you be his partner and show him around later?”  
”Whatever,” she shrugged.  
”Well then, as I said, this is Natsume Hyuuga and he will be in your class from today on. Be nice to him will you,” the last words were ment directly at Mikan and she knew it. She just didn't care.  
She looked at the clock while Narumi directed the boy to the seat beside her and smirked as the door burst open. _Right on time._  
  
Natsume hardly got the time to sit down until the door opened and the two others from this morning walked right in and started talking to the girl beside him. The conversation made him wonder what kind of person that girl really was.  
”Mikan, joining for a break?”  
”Sure, I need a smoke anyway.”  
”Mikan, you shuldn't say that in front of a teacher you know,” the pink haired girl giggled.  
”Whatever. What could they do? They can't expell me anyway. Unfortunally.”  
The last word was only a whisper, probobly not ment to be heard, but Natsume was close enough to hear it. He wondered what she ment. They couldn't expell her? that's riddiculus. He didn't notice that the whole group was now standing in the door until she accually spoke to him.  
”Hey kiddo. Are you coming with us or do I have to come back later to pick you up?” Her eyes were challenging and he suddenly understood what she was doing. She was testing him.  
  
Mikan saw the boy hesitate. Maybe he wasn't so brave after all. Maybe she overestimated him earlier. But then he suddenly stood up and walked towards them, followed by Permy. She was impressed. Even the usually so stupid Permy understood that she was testing him and therefor left after him. She grinned at Narumi who looked confused.  
”I will be leaving for babysitting now. Bye.”  
As she left the classroom as last person she heard him mumble to himself:  
”That was supposed to be after class...”  
She just closed the door and followed the others outside.  
  



	2. The Decietful Kitten

Close to the school wall was a group of students gathered. Among them were a brunette in deep thoughts. Her life had been way too peaceful the last couple of days. She knew it wouldn't last long, but she hoped that she would be allowed to relax at least a few days more. After all, now she had some babysitting to do. She turned her gaze to the raven-haired boy who just came to this school today. He was a really interesting kid, and she couldn't wait until she was able to test him some more. She grinned, but in the next second her face became cold as she heard an awfully familiar voice in her left ear. _Time to work Kitten, I'm waiting outside the wall._ She sighed. Why did she ever agree on wearing this stupid earring? While it was beautiful it was also a communicator, so she could get called at any time. She knew she had no choice but to go. She turned towards the others.  
"Sorry guys, but could you babysit for me a little while? I'll meet up with you in my room later. Misaki, you've still got my spare key right?"  
"Yes, I've got it. Where are you going?" said the pink haired girl with worry in her eyes.  
Mikan took a jump up at the wall and pulled out a yellow mask from her bag. As she put it on she answered:  
"Duty calls, I'll be back as soon as I can."  
The next second she jumped down on the other side of the wall and dissapeared out of their sight, to meet the person waiting for her on the other side.  
  
Natsume was staring confused at the spot where the brunette just dissapeard. What was going on? Before he could think any further or ask anybody however, the pink haired girl named Misaki said:  
"Okay, let's go make ready for the Kittens return, Tsubasa, go get the others will you? I'll take the new kid with me and go start."  
The boy just nodded and left.  
"Okay, kid. What's your name by the way?"  
"Natsume" he answered without thinking. His mind was preoccupied trying to figure out what was really going on.  
"Natsume huh? Anyway, our Kitten seems to have taking a liking in you," she continued while starting to walk towards the dorm, taking for granted that he would follow her. To his own surprise he found himself doing just that.  
"Kitten? Why is she called that?"  
The pink haired girl suddenly stopped and turned to face him. Her eyes were so serious he almost regretted asking.  
"I guess you deserve to know if you will be there when she comes back. Mikan works for the security team on this school, and Kitten is her code-name while working. Or at least it was supposed to be. Most people call her the Decietful Kitten around here."  
Natsume thought about that for a while while continuing to follow her.  
"Why the Decietful Kitten?"  
The girl sighed and clenched her fists in irritation.  
"Because of her I-couldn't-care-less-about-others attitude, and the color of her mask. They say yellow is the color of deciet and that there must have been a reason that her mask is that color."  
Upon hearing this, Natsume was lost in thoughts and didn't say another word while following her to the room.  
  
 _Two hours later._  
Mikan was walking slowly through the halls towards her room. She was tired and her left shoulder was bleeding heavily. _Damn it. I slipped up badly this time. Now the others will worry again._ She had always tried to make sure that she gets back as least injured as possible to keep the others from worrying, but this time her mind had been on other things. She had desperatly wished to be back at school with her friends and that resulted in a slight decrase of speed. As she reached her door she straightened up the best she could and opened the door. As she had predicted she was met with worried faces and Tsubasa immediatly ran for the first aid kit.  
"Oh my God, Mikan. Let me take a look at that." Misakis voice had a hint of desperation in it.  
"It's nothing serious. It's just a scratch."  
Accually it was a wound from a bullet, but it looked like a knife wound since she had taken the bullet out herself with a knife. Suddenly she noticed the new kid, Natsume. He was sitting by the window and just stared at her. As she let Misaki and Tsubasa treat her shoulder she turned towards the boy.  
"I guess no one told you this, but during these times, whether you stay here or leave is your choice."  
  
Natsume looked confused at the girl. Why was she bringing that up?  
"I'm fine where I am" was the only answer he could come up with. He had gotten quite a shock when she first arrived in the room bleeding, but now he was merely curious.  
She shrugged and turned her face away at his answer as the otheres finished putting a bandage on her shoulder. He looked thoughtfully at her. There was something in her eyes that he couldn't put his finger on. He was so deep in thought that he didn't realize that the others had already left until Mikan spoke to him again.  
"Kiddo, you should go to your own room too."  
He raised his head and met a pair of hazel eyes looking at him. She was standing leaning against the wall and the others was gone. He got to his feet in a second and started walking towards the door.  
"You're right, I should leave. Goodnight."  
As he passed by her he bumped into her schoolbag and it fell, resulting in all her stuff falling out on the floor. He hurried down to his knees to pick it up again, when his eyes fell upon a transparant plastic bag. He picked it up and stared at it. Inside the bag was a knife... and a bullet.  
  



	3. Could He Be a Friend?

Natsume held the plastic bag in his hand as he stood up. Without turning to face her he slowly said.  
"That wound on your shoulder. It's not from a knife right."  
It wasn't a question, but he heard her answer calmly. She was apparently used to lying this way.  
"What do you mean? Of course it is."  
"Don't lie to me!" He almost shouted the words and turned to face her, still with the bag is his hand. "If that was true, then what is this?"  
  
Mikan stared at the plastic bag in the boys hand. Why did he have that? He shouldn't have that. She thought frantically for a second and then decided it was no use lying. She went over to the bed and sat down tiredly.  
"Sit down." It was not a suggestion and she saw how he slumped down in her chair waiting for her to talk. She gave a sigh and said.  
"Just like you said, it's not a knife wound. One of the guys had a gun and I had my mind on other things. Got hit pretty bad."  
"But why did you lie to your friends about it?"  
Mikan took a closer look into the crimson eyes in front of her, struck by the beauty of their color. _The color of blood,_ it struck her. Then she tore her eyes away and said a little lower with her head bent.  
"Because since I took the bullet out myself it looks like a knife wound, and if they knew that they are using guns they would only be more worried. I don't need to worry them more than I already do."  
  
Looking at her, Natsumes anger slowly faded. She looked somewhat pitiful sitting like that with her head bent down as if she was ashamed. He was also a little surprised. The girl that he had thought was cold and uncaring actually cared enough about her friends to lessen their worry by not letting on the pain she felt herself. He wondered what her friends would say if they knew. As if she could read his mind she suddenly continued.  
"The rest of the group would probably be very angry at me if they found out I've been lying to them. And they would probably make a big ruckus to the school board and get me into even more trouble. And what's worse, they could have gotten into trouble themselves. I wouldn't want that."  
"What could happen to them?" Natsume had been quiet until now, but upon seeing the pained expression on her face he just had to ask.  
"They could get expelled for messing with the security group, or worse, they could get forced to join it! And if they still don't obey they become a target until they submit to it. And being a target of the security group could be fatal if you're not careful."  
Natsume looked at her for a while and considered what to do next. Then he suddenly spotted a red spot on her shirt and in front of his eyes it grew. He suddenly came to realize what it was. Blood! The bandage was not enough so it was bleeding through. He rose to his feet in a swift moment which made her rise her head in surprise.  
"Show me the wound, it's bleeding through the bandage."  
  
Mikan looked at him with doubt. He wanted to treat her wound? She looked down at her shoulder and noticed that is was indeed bleeding through. _Might as well let him,_ she thought and took her shirt of which left her sitting on the bed in a bra. She noticed with amusement a small blush on the boys face, but he quickly shook his head and sat down beside her to take a look at the wound. As she closed her eyes and tried not to feel the pain she felt how he carefully took the bandage off.  
"This is really badly done, no wonder it bleeds through."  
She gave out a little laugh.  
"I usually redo it as soon as the others get out of the room. None of them are very good at it, so if I didn't I'd probably bleed to death before my targets kill me." Her laugh got cut off when she saw the serious look Natsumes eyes.  
"This is no laughing matter, since it could actually happen. Why do you do this really? If you get hurt this badly a lot, then why don't you just quit? You might die one day you know."  
  
A few seconds she only stared at him and Natsume wondered if he might have gone too far. After all he didn't know her. But somehow it felt like they had known each other forever. And he wanted to know, needed to know her reasons if he was going to be around her for a while. Then suddenly it was like opening a tap. Mikan started talking.  
  



	4. The Tap is Opened

"I told you what happens if you mess with the security group. Well, one of my closest friends, Hotaru, was working for the group, she made all the technical things. She was a genious when it came to that. Anyway, I suddenly noticed that she was starting to get wounds all over, and got worried. When I asked her what happened, she just said that she had been on missions."  
Natsume looked at the girl beside him. He was treating her wound and listening to her story. He accually hadn't expected her to answer his question, but it was like he had opened a tap. The words just came out.  
"So then you messed with the group?"  
She nodded slowly.  
"I went to talk to the board, and it ended up with me being targeted.There was no safe place anywhere. And the board is cruel. They give the one you were worried about, your friend, the mission to dispose of you."  
Natsume gasped. Did she mean what he though she meant?   
"So they sent this Hotaru person? But by dispose, you don't mean.."  
"I told you, didn't I? That being a target of the securtity group could be fatal. They don't always kill you, but if they don't they break you, physically or mentally. If you survive you're still as good as dead. Unless you kill the one coming after you first."  
Mikan bent her head down even lower as she recalled the events from that time. She was shivering like she was crying, but not a tear fell from her eyes. The continuation came out as a whisper.  
"They told Hotaru to dispose of me, but she didn't want to. She came to talk to me and pleaded that I would join the group, since that was the only way to save me. And I didn't want her to have to kill her best friend, so I listened to her pleas and joined the group. But the group found out that she had been talking to me about it and decided to punish her. They sent her out on her last mission. She never came back."  
  
Mikan got quiet as she remembered the satisfied look on her leaders face whe he told her that Hotaru wasn't coming back. She had felt like her entire world had fallen apart and she had hated the board and everyone in the security group. She mumbled to herself the words that she had been thinking all the time since then.  
"It would have been better if she had just killed me. Then she wouldn't have..."  
"Don't ever say that again!" Natsume cut in before she could finish her sentence and she looked surprised at him. But before she could say anything he continued.  
"Do you think that your friend would be happy if you think like that? For what reason did she save you instead? She must have known what could happen to her, but she still saved you. If you think that she shouldn't have then her sacrafice was for nothing."  
Mikan looked at him in amazement, but before she could answer she heard a dreadfully familiar voice in her ear.  
 _"Work Kitten. Don't keep me waiting."_  
She sat up straight and turned to face the boy. Her voice was suddenly cold and her face was emotionless.  
"If you're done with the wound you should go back to your room. I don't have time to sit here and chat with you any longer."  
She rose from the bed and didn't care about his confused and wondering look. She put her shirt back on and grabbed the mask in her bag, very careful not to show it to him. Then she turned her back towards him and opened her door.  
"Good night kiddo. And don't tell anybody about tonight, got it?"  
  
Unwillingly Natsume nodded and walked out of the door. He stood in the hallway thinking for a second. What had happened? Her entire attitude had changed in a split second. He had a bad feeling so he walked up to a window and looked outside. What he saw made him boil with anger. There she was running, faster than he had thought she could, with the yellow mask on, and beside her ran a tall man, also wearing a mask, altough it was black. He clenched his fists as he realized what had happened. She had been summoned for another mission.  
"Why didn't she tell me?" he mumbled. "Why didn't you tell me damnit! Don't do that! Don't shut me out!"  
As he mumled the last words he sank down on his knees in the hallway.  
"I wan't to help you damnit. Don't bear the burden alone."  
  



	5. The Last Drop

Everybody was surprised to see Mikan in class the next morning. Usually she didn't bother to show up, but this morning she was even early. When Natsume walked into the classroom she was sleeping in her seat. He gently shook her and she tiredly lifted her head. She looked really tired and he wondered if she got any sleep at all last night. He could also see that she had gotten more hurt, she had a long scratch over her left eye. He clenched his fist underneath the table so that she wouldn't see it and said:  
"You should get that eye looked at. It looks pretty bad."  
She looked at him for a second and yawned.  
"Maybe you're right. Would you care to take a look at it? You did quite a good job with the shoulder last night."  
Natsume looked at her for a short moment before he answered.  
"Sure I could, but I'm no doctor. Haven't you got a nurse on this school?"  
"We do", she admitted, "but she hates me. She always lecture me on how bad it is to figh and ask a lot of questions about my wounds. That's why I usually take care of it myself."  
He thought about this for a moment.  
"Fine, I'll take a look at it after class."  
"Okay, I'm counting on you then."  
In the next second their conversation was cut off by Narumi who came in to start class. He looked quite surprised when he saw Mikan, but obviusly decided to stay quiet about it. As class went on Natsumes thoughts was circling around the brunette beside him and what he could do to help her. At the end of the lesson he had decided to talk to her more about the security group and as he followed her to her room he was considering how to begin. That was when he noticed that she was limping slightly.  
  
Mikan glanced at the boy walking behind her. She was kind of happy that he had agreed to help her, because it had been hard trying to take care of the eye wound on her own. She hoped that he wouldn't notice that her leg was wounded too. It had been particulary hard last night, probably because she had already been injured. It had made her slower and the opponents had been quite strong. But she had succeded somehow, even though her master hadn't been pleased.  
When they reached her room she just squatted down on the bed and shot an eye out at the balcony. She knew he would be waiting for her down there tonight and she wanted to get her eye treated before that. It would be really hard to fight with just one eye. She turned to face Natsume and saw that he already had the first aid kit in his hands. As he sat down beside her he started talking.  
"This is really bad, was it because of the wound in your shoulder?"  
She looked at him for a moment, convinced somehow that this would be a long conversation. For some reason she didn't mind.  
"Yeah, I was a lot slower than usual because of it"  
"Then how come you had to go out again? There have to be someone else that could have done it?"  
Mikan sighed. A vision of a blond boy in a hospital bed appeared before her eyes.  
"In the security group there is at the moment only two people who are sent on missions. One is me. The other one is currently in the hospital with a broken leg and some broken ribs."  
  
Natsume looked at her face. It wasn't really that hard, since he was currently cleaning the scratch at her eye. There was sorrow and grief in her eyes, like she had thought of something really painful.  
"Whan happened to that person, to end up like that?"  
He saw the sadness in her eyes deepen and almost regretted asking. This seemed to be a sensitive subject. When she answered it was with so low a voice that he almost didn't catch the words.  
"He jumped from the roof. He tried to kill himself."  
Natsume could only stare at her. What could have made that guy consider suicide? He didn't dare to ask, but to his surprise Mikan told him anyway.  
"You see, Ruka was Hotarus boyfriend. He was devistated when she dissapeared."  
He lowered his head. He didn't know what to say to this girl anymore. not when she was looking out on the sky like she couldn't see anything. Then suddenly she got to her feet and staggered towards the balcony while lighting a cigarette. He could see that she picked something up on the way. Looking at her back he suddenly got the courage to ask.  
"Did you ever consider that?"  
He saw her lower her head, she wouldn't look at him.  
"I did at one time, when I just found out about her, but then I thought that if I did that, Hotaru would probably be really angry."  
Then she looked like she spotted something and said:  
"I have to go, my spare key is in the kitchen, take it if you want to leave. I'll talk more to you later."  
After wiping her face with her hand she finally turned to look at him. Sadly he could see that she had been crying. She walked into the room, put down whatever it was that she had been holding and grabbed her mask. Then without another word she dissappeared down from the balcony. He curiously looked at the thing she had been holding. It was a photograph of a young girl, probably the same age as them, with short black hair, violet eyes and a completley emotionless face. As he turned it around he noticed that a message had been pinned to the back. He read it quickly.  
 _"Good morning baka. Since you won't wake up I will leave anyway. Try not to oversleep and I'll se you tonight. Be careful not to get into any trouble, I'm worried since you're such an idiot. See you later. Hotaru"_  
Natsume stared at the message for a second. Then he suddenly felt really sad. She hadn't come back, he somehow knew that. This note was written before she left on her last mission. He clenched his fists as the image of Mikans tearstained face showed up in his mind. He made a quick decision and jumped out from the balcony and dashed after the two dark figures dissapearing in front of him.  



	6. Consequenses of Rash Actions

Natsume was running as fast as he could after the two shadows in front of him. Much to his surprise he caught up with them and he ran past them to stand in front of them and stop them.  
"Wait, let me come with you!"  
He saw Mikan stare at him with cold eyes, he knew she was angry at him for doing this but he couldn't just sit by doing nothing. He bravely met the masked mans eyes. He heard a soft chuckle from behind the mask s the man said.  
"Now what to do with this little fly? He seems brave enough. What do you think my kitten?"  
Natsumes blood started to boil when he heard the man call her his kitten. He wanted to say something but was stopped by Mikans voice when she answered. He shivered at the tone. Her voice was colder than ice.  
"I think we should just ignore him. Persona, wasn't todays mission urgent? We don't have time to waste on a fly."  
The man named Persona looked at her and chuckled again.  
"You're very right, we've got no time to waste. Bye, brave little fly."  
And with that, they passed by him. But when Mikan passed by him, he heard her whisper to him.  
"Go back to my room and stay there, I'll talk to you when I get back. We'll se the result of your stupid action then."  
Her voice was still as cold, but now there was some worry mixed in it. Reluctantly he watched them leave and went back to her room thinking that he might as well wait there to tend to her wounds when she got back.  
  
Two hours later Mikan was on her way back to her room. Because of her previous wounds her movements were stiff and she didn't have the speed to avoid bullets at the moment so this mission had resulted in another bullet in her arm, only this time close to the wrist and she was bleeding heavily. She had bandaged it the best she could, but she didn't dare to take the bullet out, since if she did she might bleed to death, so it would be some time before it could heal. She stopped outside her room and hesitated with her hand on the knob. The last exchange of words with Persona echoed in her head.  
 _"That brat will probably be in your room when you get there. I want you to immediatly bring him to the HQ to meet with me. You will be present too of course."_  
 _"But Persona, that boy hasn't really done anything. Is it really necessary for you to meet with him?"_  
 _"No matter what he might have done or not done, I want to meet him. I might just have some use of him. And besides, you need a partner right?"_  
 _"But there's still Ruka right? As soon as he gets out of the hospital..."_  
 _"Don't get your hopes up regarding that silly boy, I have no need for people who doesn't want to live. When and if he comes out of the hospital he won't be part of the security group anymore. Therefore you need another partner. Bring that brat to me, if you don't, I'll make sure I see him anyway. Understood?"_  
 _"Sigh. I understand. I will bring him."_  
 _"That's my kitten."_  
But she really didn't want to bring him. She didn't want that kid anywhere near the security group, but she knew she didn't have a choice. Slowly she opened the door and found Natsume sitting on her bed. He lifted his head when she opened the door and immediatly rose to his feet.  
"You're hurt again. Let me take a look at that arm."  
As she watched him walk towards her she just wanted to sit down on the bed and let him tend to her arm before bringing him to Persona, but she knew she couldn't do that. Instead she looked him straight in the eyes and said:  
"I don't have time for that, I have to bring you with me. Follow me."  
Then she turned her back to him and started walking down the corridor, not even looking to see if he would follow her.  
  
Natsume watched her back as she walked away. Her eyes had been very serious and she looked like she really didn't want to do this. As he hurried after her he glanced at the bandaged arm of hers. Probably another bullet from the look of it. But it was dangerous if it wasn't tended to properly. It was too close to the wrist. They were walking down the corridors until they reached the hall and in there she went to a small statue along the wall. He had once tried to ask her where they were going, but she only said that he'd see when they got there, so he didn't ask any more. He gasped from surprise when he saw her push a button on the back of the statue and a hidden door opened in the wall. She started walking down a set of dark stairs and he followed close behind her. When they reached the bottom and had walked through a long corridor they were stopped by a closed door. He watched as she knocked hard on it three times and heard a voice from the other side.  
"Is that you kitten?"  
"Yes. I brought him as you wanted."  
"Good, come in."  
She opened the door and followed her into a big room. On the other end he saw somthing that looked like a small throne and in front of it he saw Mikan kneeling with her head bowed. He remained standing as he looked up at the man sitting on the throne. It was the same man that had been with Mikan earlier.  
"Raise your head my kitten, and tell me about that boy behind you."  
Natsume watched if half terror how she raised to her feet. He could see her face now and it was completely empty. Not a trace of emotion was left, not even the cold from before. She turned her head and started walking towards him while answering the man.  
"Yes, I will begin the introduction."  
  



	7. Natsumes' Assignment

"His name is Natsume Hyuuga, 17. He have only been at this school for two days so I really don't know much more."  
Mikan gave her report like a robot, saying what she had to, nothing more and nothing less. She didn't like this place, and she definitly didn't like Natsume being in this place.  
"So, how would you say that we could use him kitten?"  
She saw in the corner of her eyes that Natsume tensed at Personas words, but she had to answer.  
"As much as I would like to say that we can't, that would be a lie. He is very skilled at tending to wound and therefore I would like to ask that the only way we use him is at tending to my wounds after my missions."  
She hoped that Persona would be satisfied with that and not take it any further. The man looked carefully at her and then at Natsume, she knew that he was looking for any sign of a lie. Fortunally he wouldn't find any, since that was the only thing she knew about him.  
"Hmm. Well, we'll settle for him being your personal healer. At least for now, until we know more about him. Give him your spare key and this."  
He handed her a metal box. She knew what was in it. A communicator like her own.  
"I also put two bracelets like mine in there for you, I will let you contact each other since that's easier. Now you can leave."  
  
Natsume had been standing this entire time frustrated that they talked about him over his head. When the man on the throne said that they could leave he couldn't stay quiet any longer.  
"Excuse me for saying this, but for what reason did you want me to come here? You haven't even said a word to me."  
The man looked down at him with amusement in his eyes.  
"Because I wanted to see your face. I didn't get a good look earlier. Now, go with my kitten here and get the necessary things."  
Natsume looked at Mikan who bowed slightly and then started walking out of the room. Slowly he followed her, almost afraid to look at her face. The emotionless look on her face earlier scared him a little. He didn't want to see it again. He followed her in silence to her room. There he relaxed a little, because when Mikan had locked the door behind them she sighed and slumped down on her bed with an annoyed expression.  
"Man, I hate that place!"  
He looked at her in bafflement for a second and then he smiled.  
"So, can I have a look at that arm of yours now? And I need to check the other wounds again too."  
She looked at him for a moment and nodded seriously.  
"Now that you've gone and become my personal healer you don't have much of a choice. Don't blame me when I wake you up in the middle of the night."  
He met her eyes and got speechless. They were very tired and worn, and in their dephts he could read great sadness and lonliness. _Looks like the wounds on her body isn't the only thing that needs a healer._ With this thought in his mind he started to carefully try to get the bullet out of her arm.  
  
Mikan looked at him while he tended to her wounds. He was really very good at this. His hands were soft and gentle. She really didn't want to give him the communicator, but she knew that if she didn't she would be in great trouble. When Natsume was finished with her wounds she picked up the metal box that she had placed beside her on the bed.  
"What's in there?"  
She looked up into a pair of curious crimson eyes. Then she sighed and opened the box. Inside was an earring, similar to her own, but red. Hers was blue, and since she was a girl she had two. There were also two bracelets like persona had said, one red and one blue. She sighed once more before turning to Natsume again.  
"I will have to pierce your ear."  
"What is all this?"  
"The earring are the same as the ones I wear. They allow the person with the matching bracelet to contact me. In my case, I will have two persons who can contact me shortly. Persona and you. And I will be able to contact you as well, through this earring."  
  
Natsume looked at her amazed. So that was how she knew when to leave for missions, he had wondered about that. He looked at the earring in the box. It was the same color as his eyes. He wondered if it hurt to pierce your ears. But even so, he had to do it. He met her eyes.  
"Okay, could you help me pierce my ear?"  
She only nodded and went to the kitchen. He noticed that she was still limping a little, but not as bad as the day before. He gulped when he saw what she came back with. It was a big needle and a bag of ice. She sat down beside him and put the bag of ice to his right earlobe.  
"This might hurt, so I'll try to numb it a little", she explained and he could only nod.  
After a few minutes she took the ice from his ear and he felt a sting in his right ear. But it was over in two seconds and Mikan put the earring on. When she was done she gave him a small mirror.  
"You accually look pretty good with it. I was worried that it would look strange, but I guess I was worried about nothing."  
Natsume looked at his reflection and had to agree with her, it looked good.  
"But why do you have two and I only one?"  
"Because I'm a girl and it would look strange if a girl had only one earring wouldn't it? And nobody can know how I'm contacted. The same goes for you, you can't let anybody know how I contact you. If possible I don't want people to find out that you got involved with the security group so don't tell anyone."  
Natsume nodded.  
  
"Now for the bracelets."  
"I should have the blue one right?"  
Mikan nodded. Then she showed him how to send words by pushing the stone. The bracelet were big enough to reach the stone with the same hand where you've got it. She winched when he put the stone close to his mouth and said with a loud voice:  
"Like this?"  
She clapped her hands over her ears on reflex. She knew it didn't help.  
"No, not like that! You shouldn't be so close! Seriously, du you want to destroy my ears?"  
She put on the bracelet with the red stone, let her arms rest down her sides and pressed the stone.  
"This is how you do it. Now try it."  
They practiced until he could press the stone and talk without looking suspisious. Then she let him go sleep.  
Just before she fell asleep she heard a soft voice in her ear.  
"Good night Mikan."  
She smiled a little and reached for her bracelet.  
"Good night kiddo."  
  



	8. A Disturbing Order

The next few days went by peacefully, without any missions. Mikan spent her days with her friends, and in the nights Natsume secretly came to her room to check on the wounds. They were accually healing pretty well, except for the one by her eye, she would have to expect a scar there, because it was hard to keep clean, and it kept going up as soon as she blinked. But all in all, it was a nice couple of days. That was, until one afternoon in class. She was called out again. _Meet me outside Kitten. And bring the brat too._ She wondered a little about the fact that he wanted her to bring Natsume, but she wrote a note and showed it to him. _"We need to go. Called."_ After she saw that he had read it she got up from her seat and started for the door. She knew that he would follow her, and she got that confirmed when Narumi called after them.  
"Miss Sakura and Mister Hyuuga, where are you going in the middle of class?"  
She glanced back at Natsume, giving him a look that clearly said that he should ignore the teacher, before she turned towards the door again.  
"Let's go."  
  
Natsume was a bit confused. If she was called, why did he need to go now? He had a spare key to her room, so it wasn't like she needed to let him in there. As he followed her through the corridors and outside he wondered what was happening. When they reached the schoolgates he finally found his voice.  
"Why did I have to come with you? I thought I was supposed to wait in your room until you got back?"  
She stopped for a second. And with her back still to him she sighed and answered:  
"I don't know either, but I would like to know what Persona is trying to do. But it's not my nor your place to question orders, and he wanted me to bring you with me. Just hope that it won't get dangerous."  
He took a closer look at her back and noticed that she was very tense. He followed her without another word outside the gates and spotted the tall man she called Persona waiting for them under a tree. He had a black mask on so he couldn't see his face and when he turned to Mikan he noticed that she too had put her yellow mask on. Even though he couldn't see her ecpression he could still sense the fire in her hazel eyes when she turned to face Persona.  
  
"So, care to tell me why I had to bring the kid along?"  
Mikan was furious. She had done some thinking and realized the one possible reason why Persona could have wanted her to bring Natsume. He wanted him to come along on her mission. And she didn't want that. It was bad enough that he had to see the wounds afterwards, but to really see what she is doing when she gets them is much worse. She didn't want anybody to see that side of her. Persona only looked at her with a smirk.  
"Well Kitten, you should know why I asked you to bring him. I want him to accompany us tonight."  
"Why?"  
"Because tonight will be tough, and it's possible that you will need immediate treatment afterwards. And as you know I'm not very skilled in Firt-Aid. It would be a pity if you died, I still need you."  
Mikan felt her blood boil, but she knew that if she continued to argue with him she would recieve a punishment instead of an answer. And in this situation her punishment would probably be that he would hurt Natsume. So she kept quiet.  
"What's todays mission?"  
  
Natsume looked at them when they started talking about the mission. Now he understood why he needed to be there. Although he didn't understand two things. Why she insisted on calling him a kid, they were the same age damnit, and why she seemed so angry about him being there. Well, he would probably get the answers to this sooner or later.  
  



	9. Mikans' Hardest Mission

Natsume didn't believe his eyes where he stood in a tree next to Persona, holding on hard so that he wouldn't fall down. He was watching Mikan work, and he had never seen anything like it. Right now she was dodging bullets while she tried to knock the guys out with a short staff. As he watched her agile movements he realized why she called him a kid. Compared to her, he was nothing more than a little child. But he still couldn't help but think that it wasn't good for her to do all this. Her body wouldn't be able to take it. His hand found its way to his face. He had also got a mask, although he hadn't really understood at first why he needed it. It looked almost the same as Mikans, only it was a deep blood-red color. He looked down at Mikan again and a small scream escaped his lips. There was only one man left consious, and he had cought sight of the two in the tree. Now he lounged at them with a knife. Natsume saw Mikan throw herself in front of him, the blade burying itself in her side. As she turned towards the man, the knife still inside her, Natsume could hear Personas next order and gasped.  
  
 _"Kill him. Fast."_  
Mikan pulled the knife out of her and looked at the flowing blood. She didn't like the order, but she knew that Persona was right. Her only chance of survival in this mission was that she killed the man quickly and got medical treatment fast. And it was also the only way to save that kid. She looked down on the wound again and frowned. This is what happens when you need to protect someone. She turned towards the man with the knife ready, but she didn't want Natsume to see her kill. It was bad enough that he had to see her fight like this, she didn't want to show him any more darkness. Not him. Not the first person after Hotaru that she accually started to care for. Sure, she liked her other friends too, and Ruka of course. But there was something different with Natsume, just like there had been with Hotaru. A feeling that no matter what they would stay by her. And she couldn't help but stay by them. And now she didn't want to drag him down any deeper so she shifted the knife to her left hand momentarily and pressed the stone on her bracelet.  
"Kiddo, don't look."  
She made the order short, because she didn't have much time, and then she switched the knife back to her right hand. Without looking if he would listen to her order she lounged forward and thrust the knife in the mans chest. When the man sank down on the ground cursing with his last breath, she couldn't help but smile grimly.  
"So, how does it feel asshole, dying on your own blade?"  
  
Natsume had ignored the short order she had given him. He hadn't looked away. Now he stared at her as she turned to walk towards them, and he suddenly realized why she had to do it. She was protecting him. And other than that the wound in her side was bleeding heavily and she needed medical attention. Fast. He heard the man beside him say softly:  
"Get down there and do what you can. Afterwards I will help get her to her room and I will send a doctor there."  
He quickly climbed down the tree just to see her collapse on the ground. Persona threw down a big medical kit to him and he hurried over to bandage her wound. When that was done, the taller man jumped down from the tree and lifted her in his arm, carrying her towards her room, with Natsume trailing him.  
When they had reached the room and Persona had left to send for a doctor, Natsume sat down on the side of the bed and stroke Mikans chin. He was reliefed that she still breathed, but she needed a real doctor immediatly. He looked down at her face.  
"Why? Why do you have to go that far? Why do you need to fight these battles? There are a lot of questions I want to ask you, but they can wait. Right now, just focus on surviving. You have to stay alive you hear. Don't you dare give up."  
His voice was soft and he fought to hold back the tears at the sight of her limp body. But suddenly he heard her voice, really low but he managed to make out the word.  
"Ho...ta...ru."  
He looked at her in horror. She wasn't planning on giving up, was she? She couldn't! He took her hand in his and started talking to her again, speaking her name and telling her not to give up. And he was suddenly rewarded with a sign that his words reached her, because her hand suddenly gripped his and she let out a whisper.  
"Nat...su...me..."  
Natsumes tears started falling as he held her hand tightly.  
"I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere."  
  



	10. The Will To Live

Mikan was in complete darkness. She couldn't see anything, but she heard voices. They were whispering, but to her it sounded like they were screaming at her.  
 _"Look, it's that decietful kitten."_  
 _"I heard she kills people."_  
 _"Don't get to close to her, who knows what kind of lies she will tell you."_  
 _"You can't trust a murderer after all."_  
Mikan put her hands over her ears to block out the sound and screamed:  
"THAT'S NOT HOW IT IS! I DON'T HAVE A CHOICE! DON'T SAY THAT!"  
Suddenly faces started to appear in front of her. The first couple of faces she didn't recognice at first, but when she heard them mumble it suddeny struck her. This was the people she had killed on her missions! They looked at her with accusing looks and mumbled:  
"She killed me, that bitch."  
"I had a family back home, why did I have to die?"  
She fell down on her knees, still clutching her head.  
"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up!"  
Then it suddenly got really quiet and she looked up. For a minute she couldn't breath. In front of her stood Natsume and looked at her with a cold look in his crimson eyes.  
"I didn't think you were that kind of person Mikan. I didn't think you were a murderer. Don't ever come near me again."  
Mikan stared at him for a moment, before putting her face in her hands. She could feel the tears run down her cheeks and she was shaking uncontrolled.  
"Maybe it's better for everyone if I just give up. I just have to dissapear for the world to be a better place. This world doesn't need me."  
She suddenly felt pain in her left cheek and looked up. She couldn't believe her eyes.  
"Hotaru?"  
Hotaru was standing in front of her, and she looked furious.  
"What are you doing giving up, you idiot? Don't you realize that people are waiting for you to wake up? You can do that, and keep on living together with your friends. But you need to want to. Don't you want to live?"  
Mikan lowered her head. And then she glanced at the image of Natsume that was still standing behind Hotaru.  
"But there is noone waiting for me. Don't you see? I just scared away the one that would have waited for me."  
Hotarus eyes softened as she gently put her hand on Mikans head. When she started talking Mikan looked up in surprise.  
"You have really come to like that boy haven't you?"  
Mikan just nodded.  
"But you really are an idiot. Do you honestly believe that he would start hating you because of this? You saved his life, and he knows that. He's waiting patiently for you to wake up. Listen, can't you hear it?"  
Mikan listened carefully. And sure enough, somewhere in the distance was a voice. It was calling her name. She turned her head towards the voice and started shaking again. She knew that voice. He really was waiting for her. She looked back at Hotaru.  
"Thank you. I will be going then..."  
"Good idiot." Hotaru smiled at her and the image dissapeared. The last thing Mikan heard from her was a distant "Goodbye Mikan." She closed her eyes.  
"Goodbye Hotaru, and thank you."  
Then she opened her eyes again and turned towards the voice. She started walking and after a little while she saw a light.  
  
Natsume sat at the edge of the hospital bed, holding Mikans hand and calling her name. The doctor that got sent to her room had insisted that she was moved to the hospital. There, they had dressed her wound but they couldn't make her wake up. He remembered that the doctor said that wether she woke up or not depended on her will to live. So he stayed by her side at all times, never letting go of her hand. He hoped that he would be able to give her the strength to wake up. He had heard her mumble a few times, and he didn't like what he heard. It was like she was telling someone to shut up and stop saying something. Then she had suddenly gotten quiet and instead of mumbles, tears started to drop down on her face. They had been running the whole time since then, and he was wondering what was going on in her head. He suddenly heard her mumble again, but this time her voice was calm. "Goodbye Hotaru. And thank you." He flinched from surprise when he suddenly felt her hand twist. He quickly looked up at her face, and saw that she had opened her eyes. She was looking at him with an expression he couldn't deshipher.  
"Sorry to keep you waiting kiddo."  
  



	11. Meeting Ruka

Natsume looked at Mikans pale face in relief. She was awake. He had to conjure every bit of self control in his body not to throw himself down and hug her. Then suddenly he heard a boys voice from beside him.  
"Mikan, thank God you're awake!"  
He looked to the side and saw a boy his own age with blond hair. He was walking with sticks. He briefly wondered who he was until he heard Mikan answer.  
"Ruka. Are you well enough to be walking around now?"  
So this was Ruka, the boyfriend of that Hotaru person. He looked at Mikan again, waiting for her to introduce him.  
  
Mikan was really happy to see Ruka, she hadn't met him in a while, not since his attempt to suicide. She turned to Natsume.  
"Kiddo, this is Ruka, I told you about him before right?"  
Natsume nodded and she turned back to Ruka.  
"Ruka, this is Natsume Hyuuga. He's my personal healer."  
"Yeah, I guessed he was involved because of the earring, but how did he become involved. And how did you manage to keep him out of doing missions?"  
Mikan blushed a little, but looked straight at Natsume when he explained.  
"Well, this little fool willingly asked to come with us on a mission, but of course I refused." Her eyes were now shining with amusement. "And so Persona got interested in him, but I managed to convince him that this kid would be of better use as a healer than on missions. Still not sure how I made him agree to it."  
  
Natsume looked at her blushing face. Why the hell was she blushing? He didn't understand her at all. And above that...  
"Who are you calling a fool? And I'm not a kid either, we're the same age damnit!"  
He saw her smirk at him while she answered.  
"You're the fool, since I had already told you what happens when you meddle with the security group, and you still did it." And then she winked at him before continuing to his next statement. "And as far as I'm concerned, you're still a kid. Hopefully you will stay a kid for a few more years."  
Natsume just stared at her. He suddenly understood. She wasn't calling him a kid because she thought he was immature or childish, but because she was happy that he was still able to be a kid, while she had been forced to grow up way too early. He felt a little sorry for her, but before he could say anything. Ruka spoke again.  
"You should probably get some more rest Mikan, you're hurt quite badly. I'll be in the next room if you need me. And you" he turned to face Natsume directly for the first time. "Will you stay with her, to watch over her?"  
He just nodded and looked back to Mikan who had closed her eyes and were drifting off to sleep again.  
After a few minutes he saw how she started to toss and turn in bed, and this time he could make out the words she was saying. And it made him shiver.  
"I'm not a murderer! I had no choice! Shut up, leave me alone!"  
He gently took her hand and squeezed it a little. What was she dreaming really? It must be a really bad dream. But he thought she was right. She was no murderer. Sure, he didn't know what had happened on earlier missions, but he was quite sure that she had never enjoyed killing somebody, even though he somehow know that she had actually killed before. But on this mission, the only reason she had killed was to save him. She saved his life. He knew she didn't have a choice. Then suddenly her tone changed and she whispered. She almost sounded afraid.  
"Why? Why is he so different? Tell me, please... Why?"  
He looked at her in surprise. Who was she talking about? It couldn't be him could it?  
  



	12. You Are Different

When Mikan woke up next time she turned her head to see Natsume sleeping in a chair beside her bed. She smiled softly at the sight and lifted the hand that he was not holding carefully to let it rest on his head. She thought about the dream she had just had and the smile got a little nervous. She couldn't figure it out. Why was it that she felt so close to this boy? She hadn't known him for very long, but still she trusted him completely. It felt like she had known him her entire life. Not even Hotaru had become so close so fast. She stroke his hair softly once as she whispered to herself.  
"You really are different, aren't you, my brave little healer."  
  
Natsume had woken up when she stroke his hair and heard what she said to herself. He was surprised by the light touch and the softness in her voice, so he slowly lifted his head to look at her. He smiled a little at the startled look in her eyes when she realized he had heard her, but it gave way for worry when he saw that she flinched in pain when she hurriedly removed her hand.  
"Are you okay? Does it hurt?"  
He could see that she struggled not to show the pain, and it felt like a slap to the face when she smiled bravely at him.  
"It's nothing, it doesn't hurt that much anymore. You should go to your room and get some rest, I'll be fine."  
He looked at her seriously. He couldn't believe that she was still putting up this act in front of him, when he knew so well that she was hurting.  
"You don't have to play tough you know. It's okay to be in pain, nobody will look down on you because it hurts."  
  
Mikan looked at him in surprise for a second and then she laughed tiredly. She should have known that he wasn't going to be fooled.  
"Sorry Kiddo, a bad habit."  
She met his worried gaze and knew she had to say something. He had heard what she said about him being different after all. She decided to start with a question.  
"Hey Kiddo, why do you do this? Why do you go to this length for someone you hardly know? All the way from the start, you didn't have to start treating my wounds, you could have just left without caring about it and noone would have held it against you. But yet you stayed by my side all the time. Why?"  
She looked at his startled face, but felt a sting of guilt at the hurt that came into his eyes. She had probably said the wrong thing, but she needed to know. She laid quiet, just observing him as she waited for an answer.  
  
Natsume couldn't hide the fact that her words hurt him. Did she really not know why he tried so hard? He sighed and turned his eyes to the wall behind her.  
"Because nobody can live alone. And even when you were with Misaki and Tsubasa and the others, your eyes were very lonley. Like you didn't have a friend in the world. At first I just couldn't stand that, but then there was this other thing. I felt like I knew you somehow, felt like I had known you for a long time. And I don't ever abandon a friend."  
He could feel her staring at him in wonder. He knew this must have sounded really strange, but it was the truth after all. He was sure that she was going to laugh at him or something so he got very surprised when she softly said:  
"So it wasn't just me then. Hey Natsume..."  
She broke of her sentence and he looked back at her abruptly. But his surprise from finally being called by his name dissapeared with a look on her face. She was staring in chock at something behind his back and he turned around. In the shadows by the hospital window stood a woman cloaked in black. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make out her face, and after he blinked once, she was gone. He looked back at Mikan who was now shaking in fear.  
"Hey, Mikan. What's wrong?"  
  
Mikan couldn't believe her eyes. That woman. She was one of them, she knew that from her clothing. But why had she been here? And how had she managed to get through the grounds without being noticed? And she had seen Mikans face. That was bad, but what worried her even more was that she had seen Natsumes face. He was in danger. Where was Persona when she needed him? She looked up at Natsume and said with her voice shaking:  
"You have to go." He opened his mouth to protest but she cut him off. "You have to go and call Persona here, and tell him what happened. You remember how to get down to HQ right?"  
She watched him nod and reluctantly stand up and leave. Mikan looked with worry at the door where he had dissapeared.  
"Please, let him make it in time."  
  
Natsume hurried down the corridor towards the statue that hid the HQ. He didn't know what was going on, but the look on Mikans face when she told him to go had made him understand that it was important. He wondered briefly who that woman was when he reached his hand for the statue. But his hand never touched it. Instead was he hit hard in the head with something and the last thing he heard before everything went quiet around him was Personas voice that was yelling at someone to stop...  
  



	13. I Have To Go!

Mikan sat up hurriedly in her hospitalbed ignoring the pain when she saw Persona rush into her room. She looked around for Natsume but couldn't see him. Persona was alone. She looked at him with the question written in her face.  
"They've got the kid."  
Personas statement crushed any hope she had, and she akwardly started to get out of bed. She was on her feet and stumbling for the door when she felt a hand on her shoulder.  
"Where do you think you're going?" The voice was cold and told her exactly what he thought about what she was going to do. Mikan turned her face towards him, the anger in her eyes causing him to let go of her shoulder.  
"I'm going to get him back of course!"  
She started walking towards the door again, but Persona was faster, blocking the door.  
"You are going after them in your condition, don't be foolish! Do you want to get yourself killed?"  
Mikan looked at him in surprise. Was that worry in the depths of his eyes? She couldn't believe it. But that didn't matter right now. She had to go. She started pushing herself past Persona and to her surprise he let her pass. When she was out in the corridor she heard his voice again, he was talking with a low voice but every word was as clear as if he had shouted.  
"Why do you risk your life for that kid? It's not like he's really important, and he can't really tell them something useful."  
Mikan swirled around and faced him, but all the anger had left her. The only emotion in her face and voice was desperation.  
"Because he got involved in all this because of me. They took him because of me, so I have to go bring him back."  
She met Personas eyes right on, trying to make him see why she needed to go, begging him not to stop her. She watched him sigh.  
"You do know that this is just a trap right?"  
"I know, but I still have to go."  
"Fine. Just make sure that you come back alive okay."  
Mikan looked at him in wonder. This went easier than she had thought. She nodded and turned down the corridor. Only one more word escaped her lips before she started half running as fast as she could towards the exit.  
"Thank you."  
  
While Mikan was leaving, Natsume woke up in a large room. He was lying on a bed, hands and feet tied down. He looked around and saw someone standing in the other end of the room. It was a girl cloaked in black, but if it was the same girl that he had seen in the hospital he couldn't say. He studied her for a little while before he spoke.  
"Excuse me, but what do you want with me?"  
The girl turned towards him slowly and he could finally see her face. When his eyes met hers he gasped loudly. Where had he seen those eyes before? Realization dawned on him the same moment as she started talking.  
"You are the bait to lure out the Decietful Kitten."  
He stared at her a moment while her words sank in. He knew who this girl was now, and he couldn't understand why she would do this. He had to say something to keep her talking, maybe he would know then.  
"But the Kitten will know that it is a trap, besides she's badly injured. She can't come."  
A small smile creeped upon the girls otherwise emotionless face. The sight of it made him shiver.  
"Oh, she will come."  
"How can you be so sure?"  
"Because that girl is an idiot. And besides, you're important to her, and she was never one to abandon her friends when they are in trouble."  
Natsume looked at her with worry in his eyes. She sounded so sure, and to be completely honest, he knew that she was right. He closed his eyes and hoped that his silent beggings would reach her.  
"Mikan, don't come!"  
  



	14. Mikans' Decision

Mikan was running as fast as she could with her injuries towards the place where she knew her enemy brought their prisoners. She knew where it was because she had been there before as a prisoner. That time Hotaru had helped her out, but this time it was different. She knew it was foolish of her to be doing this with her injuries, but there was nothing else she could do. She had to get Natsume out of there. She knew that they would probably be waiting for her, but she had to make it somehow.  
When she reached the facilities where she knew Natsume was being held she stopped for a moment to catch her breath. Her side was pounding painfully but she ignored it and looked around for a way in. She spotted an open window and started to casually move towards it. She reached it without interruptions and climbed inside. She was in a completely dark room and while she strained her eyes to find the exit all the lights went on. She blinked at the light and then found that she had walked right into the trap. She was in a big room and in the other end stood a bed. Her heart took a leap when she saw Natsume lying tied on top of it and started running towards it. Suddenly she heard him yell.  
"Mikan! Don't come here, get out of here quick! That girl is..."  
He was cut off by an emotionless voice that made her cold inside.  
"So you've finally come Mikan. I knew you would, you've always been such an idiot."  
Mikan stared at the girl in black that was standing in front of her. Her hood was lowered and Mikan met the violet eyes of a person she had believed to be dead.  
"Hotaru..." The words were no more than a whisper, and she saw her former best friend smirk at her.  
"Long time no see Mikan. I'm surprised Persona let you leave."  
  
Natsume looked in terror at the expression on Mikans face and tried once more to call out to her.  
"Mikan! You have to leave! You can't do this in your condition!"  
One glance at her told him that his yelling was in vain. She didn't hear him. He couldn't say he was surprised, he knew that she had thought her best friend to be dead. He listen intently at their conversation. Mikans voice was strained when she spoke.  
"You knew I would come with or without Personas permission. Now, I'm here, so let the kid go."  
"Hah, did you really think we would let him go if you came here? How wrong you were."  
Natsume looked at Mikan in horror. Had she really come with the intend to exchange herself for him? He saw the grim look on her face and suddenly realized something that made him feel like slapping her. Apperently Hotaru had seen it too, because she suddenly got a look of surprise on her face.  
"Wait, that wasn't your intention at all, was it Mikan?"  
Her face drew together in a grimace before turning towards him.  
"If that is your intent, then I might as well let the boy go first. I believe you don't want him to see this."  
Natsume followed Hotarus moves as she came over to the bed where he laid and cut off the ropes that bound him. He quickly stood up and rushed over to Mikan.  
  
"You're not planning to do what I think you are, are you?"  
Mikan looked at him with soft eyes. She knew that he had figured it out, but she was not going to give him an answer.  
"Are you okay kiddo? She didn't hurt you?"  
"Answer me! Are you?"  
She sighed. She had to make him leave soon.  
"I'll be fine, I promise. You just hurry back to the school. Persona should be at HQ, he'll take care of you."  
She could see the devastation in his face at her words, but she turned her face towards Hotaru instead. She didn't want him to see the look in her eyes right now. Inside her swirled a mix of feelings. She was hurt and betrayed and that overtook everything else. Soon she was not going to care that he was there. She met Hotarus eyes and saw that her eyes were cold as ice. It was much colder that she remembered it, but it was still the same Hotaru, wasn't it? Her Hotaru.  
"Go. Now."  
She didn't turn to look at him when she started to walk slowly towards her former best friend.  
  
Natsume looked at her with tears in his eyes. He started walking towards the window but stopped right under it when he heard her next words.  
"I want your word that Natsume will be unharmed, now and in the future. He was dragged into this because of me, and will have no reason to get involved with you after today."  
"You have my word."  
Natsume stared at Mikan in horror. It was as he had thought after all. She was intending to exchange his future safety with her life!  
  



	15. Natsumes' Determination

Natsume stared in horror at Mikans determined profile. There was no way he could let her go through with this. No way could he let her die. But what could he do? The image of Persona went through his mind. Would he be able to make it? Would the strict master even care? He had to hope so, because that was the only thing he could think of. He looked nervously at the two girls again, then jumped out the window and ran for his life. No, not his life. He ran for Mikans life.  
  
When the girls saw Natsume jump out of the window Hotaru started laughing coldly.  
”He really left you here. I thought for sure that he was going to stop you.”  
Mikan looked at the window with relief. She just hoped that he was smart enough to keep away.  
”Of course he's trying to stop me. He's probably on his way to tell Persona about this right now. Not that I think that he will care.”  
She could see the hesitation in Hotarus eyes at the mention of her former master, but it was gone just as soon.  
”Yeah... He never really cared much for people who would throw their lives away.”  
”No, he didn't. Just look at what he thinks about Ruka these days...”  
This time Hotaru clearly flinched and Mikan looked at her in surprise when she spoke.  
”What happened to Ruka? I swear if Persona hurt him then I'll...”  
”Persona didn't touch him.” Mikan looked at her with a serious look in her eyes. As she had gotten over the first chock of seeing Hotaru alive and on the enemy side, the anger had started growing. ”The one who hurt Ruka was you, Hotaru.”  
Her former best friend looked at her with confusion in her eyes.  
”What do you mean?”  
”After we learned that you weren't coming back, he jumped from the roof. He tried to take his own life because he couldn't take the loss of you. And here you were, alive and well all this time! I can't believe you! You almost killed Ruka you know!”  
Mikan met Hotarus widened eyes with a forced glare and turned her back to her before the tears started falling down her face.  
”And you never let us know... Why didn't you let us know Hotaru? All this time we thought you were dead... All this time we grieved... All this time we missed you Hotaru! So why are you here, on the enemys side, against the ones who love you?”  
Suddenly she tensed up when she felt someones arms around her.  
”I'm sorry Mikan. I'm sorry... It doesn't change what I have to do, but I want you to know that leaving you and Ruka was the hardest thing I ever did.”  
Mikan nodded slowly and freed herself from Hotarus arms to face her.  
”I know and I forgive you Hotaru. So let's just get this over with, okay.”  
Hotaru nodded and pulled the gun she had in her pocket. She slowly pointed it at Mikan who stood facing her. Both girls were crying.  
  
What Mikan hadn't realized was that Persona had taped her bracelet before she left the hospital, and every word they said was heard by Natsume. As he ran towards the school he listened anxiously to the girls conversation. He was impressed by Mikans calm but feared that seeing her former best friend like this had broken her completely. He quickened his pace and had just reached the entrance to the HQ when Mikan started crying. He rushed down the stairs and opened the door into the 'throneroom' as he called it. Persona was pacing in front of the throne and grimaced when he spotted Natsume.  
”She did something stupid didn't she?”  
Natsume nodded.  
”But it wasn't her fault. She wasn't prepared for who she was going to meet.”  
Persona fixated him with his eyes.  
”And who was that?”  
”Hotaru.” As he met Personas surprised eyes he fell on his knees on the floor and started crying. He had just heard Mikan forgive Hotaru and ask her to get it over with. ”She's going to let Hotaru kill her...”  
The next time he looked up he was alone in the room. Persona was gone and Natsume could guess where. He was going to stop Mikan. He got to his feet and ran after him, the way he knew that he would take. When he was only ten meters away from the window he had gotten out from he heard a gunshot.  
  



	16. The Conclusion

Natsume fell on his knees when he heard the gunshot and he felt tears falling from his eyes. He had been too late. Everything was too late. He hadn't been able to save her.  
”Why are you sitting there all gloomy, boy? Give me a hand instead.”  
The sudden voice made him lift his head and stare at the speaker. It was Persona, and beside him stumbled a crying Mikan. He was on his feet in no time and ran over to her and closed his arms around her. He hugged her furiously with the tears falling down his face.  
”I thought... I heard the gunshot... I though it was too late...”  
Mikan put her arms around his back, sank them down to the ground and started to tell him in between sobs.  
  
Earlier  
Mikan had accepted the thought of dying at Hotarus hands when Persona showed up. Before she could say a word he walked up to her and pulled a string of transparent tape of her bracelet.  
“The boy have heard every word you've said. He showed up at HQ crying.” Mikan flinched at the hard tone in his voice. “What the hell were you thinking?”  
Mikan lowered her head and glanced at Hotaru, who was standing frozen on the spot, staring at her former master. The gun was still pointed at Mikan. Persona noticed her glance and turned his cold eyes towards the girl.  
“And you Imai! What are you playing at, pointing a gun at the same friend you were once ready to die to protect! If you were alive, why didn't you just come back?”  
Mikan looked at him in surprise and she noticed that Hotaru did the same. Then something inside of the cold-faced girl broke and before Mikan or Persona could react she pointed thee gun at herself and pulled the trigger. Mikan stared at the scene in paralycis (sp) for a few seconds before her tears started falling and she ran over to the unmoving body on the floor.  
“Hotaru! Hotaru!” Her vooice was shrill as she took the girls head in her arms and hugged it tight. “Why  did you do that Hotaru? You can't leave me again! I finally found you!”  
Hotarus violet eyes were still slightly open and she managed a few words before they closed forever.  
“Don't cry you dummy... Mikan, I'm sorry...”  
After a while Mikan felt Personas hands grabbing her shoulder and forcing her to stand up. She followed him blindly, her  tears dimmed her sight, and didn't care where they were going.  
“You've got someone waiting for you Mikan, and he's probably really worried by now.”  
Mikan  looked up at him in surprise. That gentle tone did really not fit the strict master, and when did he ever use her real name? But then she looked in front of her and saw the shape of the crying Natsume on the ground and her heart took a  jump. Even though her tears were still running and her heart ached she knew that he would be able to help her get over it.  
  
Present  
Natsume looked in amazement at Mikan. Hotaru had taken her own life instead of Mikans and left in a way like she had never been gone in the first place. He didn't know what to make of all this, but as he felt Mikan shaking with tears in his arms he knew that he would never be able to let go.  
  
Three months later  
“Kiddo! Come on, we're late!”  
Mikans voice echoed through the hallways in the school when she ran towards the classroom.  
“Don't call me a kid!”  
Natsume hurried after her with an annoyed look on his face. But suddenly it changed into a loud laugh. He was really happy right now, which was really hard to believe considering  the events three months earlier. And he had seen a great positive change in Mikan as well. She had been down and crying for the first two weeks, but she calmed down and now she was back to the Mikan he had met when he came to the school, but even more energic. She had been freed from her duties as the security team and was now allowed to live as a normal girl her age. And it really showed that it did her good to leave that life behind her. They talked about it from time to time, but they rarely mentioned that last night with Hotaru. They never mentioned the encounter to Ruka, but somehow they thought he  knew anyway, by the way he looked at Mikan with compassion in his eyes. But all in all, life was good right now.   
_'Almost too good to be true,'_ he thought as he rushed after Mikan into the classroom with a loud 'Good morning!'  
  



End file.
